Our Christmas Card

This Christmas was as hectic as ever. Possibly more so, since my daughter "gets it" for the first time. Last year, she knew what presents were, but this year - there was a wish list. Her list was simple. A bike. A big girl bike. Santa always delivers, doesn't he? Santa brought my son a new laptop, too.

Yes, Santa is very good to my kids. I think Santa knew I was also feeling very grateful - even more than usual - that my kids are healthy.

The Sandy Hook travesty took a toll on more than just my husband and myself. You assume that parents are horrified. But my son was very distraught, too. Enough that his teacher called to let me know how upset he was. More than the rest of his classmates - at how senseless and unexplainable it all was.

He has little empathy for his little sister, but when it comes to the world - he wants to fix it. He cried and told me that he wanted to invent a time machine to go back to Thursday and warn everyone - to stop it from happening. Not that he wanted "someone" to do that - he wanted to do it himself. That's a lot of weight on a little man's shoulders.

I received the Christmas cards I ordered 2 days after - and all I could think about was how one of those mothers may have gotten their Christmas cards that day, too. With photos of their child smiling.

I planned on starting to address my cards that morning, but found myself reading news articles and crying instead. For several hours I thought that sending Christmas cards seemed so trivial and insignificant. But then I realized that I love receiving them and seeing all the beautiful faces of my family, friends - and more than anything the children. So I got my act together and mailed them in case someone else was having a rough day and my children's faces can brighten it just a little.

From my family to yours... a belated, but heartfelt... Merry Christmas!!! 

And Warmest Wishes for a wonderful New Year!

Please note: These images are from Tiny Prints, Inc.

Our Thankful Tree

In my never-ending battle to raise my children to be upstanding citizens of the world, I was inspired by other blogs I had seen to start a new tradition in the month of November.

Our Thankful Tree...

I had cut down a few birch branches that were breaking from an especially windy storm we had in October. Up until very recently, the leaves stayed fairy intact.

This week, however, they were falling like crazy. I got a little annoyed with picking them up constantly before the dog would eat them. When they would fall, I would just put them in the bottle for later.

I printed up tags and cut them out {and used a decorative punch on the corners}. They say "I'm thankful for..." I started in a print font since my daughter is just learning her letters, and then realized my son is learning {and surprisingly loving} to write in cursive. So I added another version with cursive - and got extra creative with the next version - I added a bokeh overlay. It looks so pretty and soft.

The thoughts we each write on the tags can be very meaningful. For example:

I'm thankful for...
"... the saleswoman today who reminded me of something my grandma would say to me." {She has passed away, and it was such a bright moment in my day to hear her words.}

"... everyone helping to feed Molly." - that's from my husband regarding the dog duties.

"... us having enough money so I can play hockey." ~from my son {he plays semi-travel - apparently, our comments about not taking it for granted are sinking in}

Or somewhat simple and even silly at times, such as:

I'm thankful for...
"... my sweet baby girl" ~ I also did "... my wonderful son"
"... goggles" ~ 3 year old - she tends to wear them around the house, to the store, and every now and then in the pool :)
"... ice cream" ~ BOTH kids - and who am I kidding? - me, too

I don't want my kids {or husband} to think it has to be profound each time. We should be thankful for everyday things, as well.

I have put all the extra tags in a vintage silver sugar cup. I punch holes and hang them with twine when we are done. 

I think I mentioned once before that I wanted to make my own velvety pumpkins this year. Well, I did it! ONE! One lonely pumpkin! :) But he's awfully cute, don't you think? Real stem again and a real dried leaf. 

As I said, I was inspired by many different blogs, but the most recent post that spurred me to action was Jones Design Company. 

So to all of those wonderful blogs and to all of my wonderful readers, I would like to say...

I have added an image below with the tags I used for our Thankful Tree. If you click on the image it should appear larger and can be printed or downloaded. 

To you and yours from me and mine...

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Atkinson Drive, Be Different Act Normal, Between Naps of the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Ginger Snap Crafts, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, The Nature of Grace, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stone Gable, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Timewashed, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, ...

2012 Election Resources for Kids

This is somewhat of a mommy post. But if you don't follow politics closely, like myself, then it can be pretty handy for adults, too. :)

Recently, my son came home saying that he is "So voting for Romney." And, "Romney crushed Obama last night," even though he didn't know the debate was on TV.

To be perfectly clear - my son had no idea who Romney was before going to school that day. He was parroting his classmates. Every child in his class is adamant that they are voting for Romney. I found this humorous and disturbing at the same time. Not for his choice, I respect everyone's rights.

But my son was {although not yet voting age, he's 8!} informing me that his vote was purely to fit in with the majority. I asked him what Romney stood for, and he asked me if it was an acronym. Aaaah!

I realized that I couldn't just talk the talk. And if I was going to walk the walk, he was taking this stroll with me. If he is ready to vote without knowing the issues, I figured this provided a very teachable moment.

So, off I went on a wild goose chase on Google to find the right information for my child in terms he could understand - and information displayed in ways to not bore him to pieces.

And just in case you feel like you want to force this family fun on your own children, here is what I have discovered as decent resources for kids on the 2012 Presidential Election.

One of the first resources I found was from FamilyEducation.com. They offer biographies on each candidate as well as a section called "Where Obama and Romney Stand on the Issues". Each issue is displayed separately. Good information is provided, but there are a lot of distractions on the website. So I printed the pages with the issues and I am going to cut and glue them onto construction paper for my son to read. Less distraction means more absorbing the information.

Nick.com has a very comprehensive program running called Kids Pick the President. There are lots of factual information, but if your child needs media to learn - this is your winner. Just purely because they will watch it and hopefully not tune out. They keep it paced at a rate to not lose kids. Most likely the best visual example to share with your kids is a 22 minute video on The Issues. 

For printable material, I really liked this free downloadable packet Elections A to Z Unit Study from TheHomeschoolMom.com :

It contains 14 pages including Crossword Puzzle and Election Word Search that would challenge older elementary school kids. Don't worry, moms, it also includes the answer keys. :)

The Election Trivia for Kids from Ooph.com has 11 questions {and 1 bonus question} with answers on election trivia. This could be interesting test to see my son's before and after knowledge of this election.

The poster How to Become President of the United States above is from Publications.USA.gov

Again, another great visual for children, this time depicting what it takes to become the president.

Scholastic.com has a countdown until the election, maps, interactive games, etc. There are a lot of polls, but I didn't find much information describing the issues. Still, it is a good resource for kids.

I don't want our learning about the election to be all work and no play. This free printable packet from blog.worldlabel.com is ah-may-zing! It just makes the election seem fun and far less boring! :)

My daughter will enjoy the stickers in the printable packet {who doesn't love stickers?} - but she won't have a clue what it's all about. So, we will read an old favorite of my son's, Duck for President by Betsy Lewin. I think it's pretty entertaining, even for a 3 years old. 

That wraps up my list of resources. Please let me know if you find any useful or if you have more you think I missed! Are you excited for the elections? Or dreading them? How about your kids?

Sometimes I link up with the following fabulous linky parties: The 36th Avenue, A Ruffled Nest, At the Picket Fence, Be Different Act Normal,Between Naps on the Porch, Beyond the Picket Fence, Blissful & Domestic, Bowdabra Blog, Cheerios and Lattes, The Chicken Chick, Coastal Charm, Common Ground, Country Momma Cooks, Crystal & Co (The Mommy Club), The Dedicated House, DIY Show Off, Elizabeth & Co., Embracing Change, Faded Charm, Family Every After, The Farmhouse Porch, Finding Fabulous, Fine Craft Guild, Fireflies and Jellybeans, Free Pretty Things!, French Country Cottage, Fresh Eggs Daily, Ginger Snap Crafts, Happy Hour Projects, High Heels and Grills, Home stories AtoZ, House of Hepworths, Hubby Made Me, I Heart Naptime, Lil' Luna, Ladybird Ln, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Little Becky Homecky, Mandatory Mooch, Milk & Cuddles, Mod Vintage Life, My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Nap Time Crafters, Nifty Thrifty Things, Not Just a Housewife, One More Time, Project Inspire, Primp Your Stuff, Redoux, Rooted in Thyme, Savvy Southern Style, Shabby Art Boutique, Simple Home Life, Six Sisters' Stuff, Skip to My Lou, Someday Crafts, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Stuff and Nonsense, Tatertots and Jello, Thirty Handmade Days, Tip Junkie, Twigg Studios, Uncommon Designs, Under the Table & Dreaming, The Vintage Farmhouse, Western Warmth ...

Mommy post

I know the other moms feel me here...

The words "enough already", which fly out of my mouth often around this house to the sibling rivalry. Rivalry sounds kind of medieval to me, which suits its purpose in that phrase just fine. Sometimes my two children are downright cruel to each other. Very primal, even. To find whatever is near them to use as a weapon. That's straight out of gladiator days.

I feel like nothing I say ever sinks in to my children's heads. I preach {and yes, try my best to practice} being sweet and gentle hundreds of times a day. It never seems to get through.

Then out of the blue, something happens...

My daughter, 3 years old and full of spit and vinegar, found a wasp in the family room this morning. She said, "Momma, I need something to pick it up." So I handed her a paper towel. 

She caught it! Without harming the poor little guy.

She proceeded to gently (not an word in her vocabulary or demeanor) pick it up and said, "I need to put him outside."

Watching the wasp escape to the bushes.

This same little girl of mine pulls the dog's tail in glee, and tells her, "I'm gonna poke your eye"...! She is ruthless to her big brother. She scares me with how developed her sense of humor and deception are at only three years old.

This transaction with the wasp lasted all of 2 minutes. But just that simple gesture she made, that was enough for me to realize that something, SOMETHING, is being absorbed into her little mind about being kind to others. I couldn't be more proud. And neither could she. ♥

So proud of herself!
{Yes, the hair in her eyes drives me crazy, too.}